I May Be Wrong, But… Steve Phillips, Kai Gronauer, Jeurys Familia, Bobby Malek, Frank Viola, John Maine, Angel Pagan

1. It seems there are plenty of rich people that want to become a minority owner of the New York Mets. First, there was that guy from Long Island whose name escapes me. Now, an African-American group headed by Martin Luther King III, says they want up to 50%. Sort of ironic for a team that doesn’t have one African-American on their 25-man squad.

2. Could we just ignore anything Steve Phillips says about the New York Mets? I take that back. Can we just ignore anything Steve Phillips says about anything.

3. I asked catcher Kai Gronauer, who was invited to join the Mets’ spring training squad, how it felt: “Great Mack. I could not be any happier and cannot wait until Spring Training starts.” I jokingly reminded him that Josh Thole can fill him in on who’s shoes need to be shined first.

4. Also spoke with SP Jeurys Familia today and he is definitely ready for the season to start. All this kid has to do is get his control worked out and he could wind up a better pitcher than Jenrry Mejia. Remember this name.

5. I’m thrilled that the Mets have added two more ex-Mets, Bobby Malek and Frank Viola, to their minor league coaching staff. I’ve said for years how disappointed I have been that more ex-Mets were not part of the Mets family anymore. And, I’m not talking just about coaches. Why aren’t more of the old guys at spring training, welcoming the team back? Where’s Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, and guys like Ed Charles, who is an inspiration to all of us? Adding Tim Tuefel, Wally Backman, and Mookie Wilson were a good start, but it looks like Sandy Alderson and Co. are adding more ex-Mets to the fold. It’s simply great.

6. John Maine told Adam Rubin that he felt great. Do you know how many people at different times over the years that John Maine has told people he felt great?

7. Signing Angel Pagan to a one year contract for $3.5 seems like a great deal for the Mets. Pagan has proven in the past two years that he is worth every penny and the team could use as much stability as they can find in 2011. The Mets still feel that any combination of Fernando Martinez, Lucas Duda, or Kirk Nieuwenhuis could wind up in the starting Queens outfield.

I May Be Wrong, But… Matt Cerrone, Jeff Wilpon, Matt Garrioch, Oliver Perez, R.A. Dickey, Kai Gronauer, Kirk Nieuwenhuis

1. Some posters may grow older, but never wiser. I paid a visit to one of my old stomping grounds, NYFS, and found a particular post interesting. It was about Matt Cerrone, of www.metsblog.com  and I couldn’t believe how many of the many loyal posters there think Matt doesn’t know what he is doing. I’ve always had trouble with haters online, but knock Matt Cerrone? Isn’t he the guy that gives most of you morning cup of Mets stuff?

2. Jeff Wilpon seems to be getting a little soft on the loss of Omar. He’s been quoted as saying he misses him and would welcome him back in some capacity. Listen, firing someone can bring you a lot of guilt. I fired people who thought they were my friend. One eventually hung himself in his mother’s bedroom. I haven’t held a job in the radio industry for over  ten years and I still have a minimum of three nightmares a week about that subject. Change is sometimes inevitable and people need to move on without each other. Stay away, Omar.

3. Matt Garrioch, over at www.mlbbonusbaby.com , listed the top 20 international kids signed in the off-season and none were Mets. I expected Elvis Sanchez to be on this list, but I guess Matt wasn’t high on him. There easily could have been a drop off in signings this past off-season, what with all the turnover of brass and scouts. Seven of my top ten Mets prospects came out of international signings, which speaks for its strengths, and the weakness of past Mets drafts.

4. the Mets looking for a minority partner means only one thing… they’re out of family moolah. My first minority ownership was with Specter Broadcasting. Why? Because the original owners came close to running the company in the ground. This is really good news for Mets fans and could be the first step in someday being returned to operating as a big-market team. Hats off to the Wilpons for recognizing the problem.

5.Oliver Perez will compete for a job in spring training as a starter, not a relief pitcher He’s coming off the Mexican League fully stretched, and he will go against Dillon Gee, Chris Young, and Pat Misch for the 4th/5th slot. Chris Capuano will begin ST out of the pen, per Terry Collins.

6. Congrats go out on the 2-year deal for SP R.A. Dickey. The best news about this is the fact it isn’t a 3-year deal. Dickey’s earned this, and even if he fails as a starter, would make a nice addition out of the pen. We all know that both Jenrry Mejia and Matt Harvey are slotted for 2014, but that’s a long way away and anything can happen. On paper, there is no better potential SP5 than Dickey.

7.  I see that Captain Kirk and Kai Gronauer have both been invited to be part of the Mets spring training roster. This will be Kai’s first entrance into the sacred clubhouse and I’m thrilled for him. I’ve contacted him for a response, which, if received, will be in my next posting.

8. changing web site is a real pain… I’ve contacted SportsSpyder and hopefully, they will include my new site soon. We continue to work on the new site, which will change to a real domain site sometime in the next 30 days. My name is owned by some other site, so we’re going to change it eventually to MackBaseball.com …  I’m sorry to put all of you through this, but it’s a necessity for me to accomplish my long term goals as a Mets writer.

9. Could the announcement by the Wilpons have worse timing? We’re less than 20 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting and the last thing Sandy Alderson and Company needs is this kind of media distraction. It must be really bad to throw a press conference about this now. I’m sure the players and coaches will all be a little testy if questions come their way about this crap.